Razor-sharp innovation: male grooming roundup for 2016
First male model in colour cosmetics campaign
L’Oréal led the way this September with the ‘first ever’ colour cosmetics campaign to feature a male model.
Its #YourTruly campaign for its True Match foundation range centred on diversity, and featured a lineup of 23 of the “most influential and inspirational ambassadors for diversity” in the UK, according to the brand.
Among them was Gary Thompson, blogger and makeup artists, also known as The Plastic Boy, and comes as confirmation that makeup is now opening up to men too.
Apt acquisitions
Unilever strode forward into male grooming with its acquisition of The Dollar Shave Club, one of the fastest growing personal care businesses in North America.
In the course of the last year the subscription model company's portfolio had successfully expanded to include both full skin and hair care lines and now has an estimated 3.2 million subscribers.
Best for men? How to target
Bulldog skincare founder, Simon Duffy, told CosmeticsDesign recently that the sector “continues to grow and innovate.” The industry expert on male grooming notes that beauty bloggers are likely to have an increasing influence on how men spend.
“Men are learning about new products in different ways and we should expect the influence of male bloggers and vloggers to continue to build,” he confirmed.
Beiersdorf, another major player in male grooming, also spoke out about how to target male consumers.
Speaking recently to Drug Store News, the company’s marketing director for its Nivea brand, Jennifer Delaney, spoke of the importance of catering to a consumer demand for hassle-free retail experiences among men.
“The biggest challenge for the shave category overall is the decreased household penetration of shaving,” she asserted.
Ingredients launches
At the ingredients level, suppliers have been making progress too. Evonik launched a set of formulations for the cleansing, conditioning and care of beards, for example.
BASF focused on skin rather than hair, and launched its Speci’Men ingredient aimed at target men’s specific skin properties.
